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NATIONAL TRAINING ON "TRAIN THE TRAINER" WORKSHOP ON ALARM RESPONSE TRAINING DEVELOPMENT FOR NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL SECURITY STAKEHOLDERS IN NIGERIA, 5th - 8th June, 2017

A four days train the trainer workshop was jointly organized by the US-Department of Energy’s Office of Radiological Security and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority in Abuja, Nigeria from 5th to 8th June 2017. The training which drew participants from the nuclear sector and stakeholder organizations across the country is geared at strengthening physical security of nuclear and other radioactive material in the country. This is being achieved through physical security upgrade of all high-risk facilities in the country and other collaborative efforts like human development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director General of the NNRA, Prof. Lawrence Dim thanked the US-DOE for their support and cooperation with the Nigeria Government to implement an effective and sustainable nuclear security infrastructure in Nigeria. Nigeria in 2007 signed the Nuclear Security Cooperative Agreement to hasten and ensure an effective and sustainable nuclear security infrastructure in Nigeria. He informed participants that an assessment mission was conducted in 2008 by the US-DOE against which backdrop a physical security upgrade of some high risk facilities commenced in 2009.

Also speaking at the occasion, Mr. Edward Smith, the Lead Expert from the US-DOE commended the Nigerian government for its cooperation and expressed delight at the caliber of participants at the workshop, commending that the composition was the best he had seen in any country since he began training the trainers in different countries. He therefore urged participants to bring their expertise to bear as the training will ensure the domestication of modules to Nigeria.Mr. Edward stressed that since the training course is country specific; it will take into cognizance the country’s regulations and come up with specific modules and modified presentation materials to suit Nigeria.

It is expected that at the end of the workshop, participants and stakeholder organizations will use the opportunity being offered by the Office of Radiological Security (ORS) to strengthen nuclear security at facility and organizational level. Participants were encouraged to implore the lessons learnt at this workshop for the sustainability of the alarm response training and ensure the implementation of an effective response training programme at their various facilities.